Dispenser



L.. A. TENENOUSE IR DISPENSER Filed Sept. 6, 1966 United States Patent Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A dispenser for a pharmaceutical product is disclosed which includes a container having a dispensing device including a dispensing bowl on a flexible arm. The bowl can be flexed from a position wholly within the container to dispensing position.

This invention relates to the dispenser art and has particular relationship to dispensers for pharmaceutical products. Because this invention is particularly applicable to the dispensing and administering of pharmaceutical products, the specification and the claims of this application, in the interest of brevity, describe and claim this invention as serving pharmaceutical purposes.

To the extent that this invention is applicable to dispensers of other types, such other type dispensers are within the scope of this invention and, to this extent, words such as pharamaceutical are used in this application with the intention that they include within their scope such other types of practice of this invention.

The dispenser according to this invention is used with containers for pharmaceutical products. A pharmaceutical product is distributed in a container having a neck or mouth for which there is a closure cap. In the interest of health and sanitation the structure of the cap and container are regulated by law. Typically, the receptacle may contain a pharmaceutical product in liquid or powder form which is to be administered in measured quantities, by tablespoon or teaspoon. It is desirable that the container be provided with a dispenser for administering the product. It is an object of this invention to provide such a dispenser.

In accordance with the teachings of the prior art, a pharmaceutical container is provided which includes a spoon secured to, and extending from the center of, the cap. This cap and spoon are enclosed within a shield. This prior art container is uneconomic in that the producing of the cap with the spoon extending from it presents serious manufacturing difliculties which render the composite structure costly. In addition, the meeting of health and sanitation regulations imposed on the pharmaceutical cap is complicated. The use of the composite structure in administering a dose of a pharmaceutical product is awkward. The composite product cannot be held conveniently by the cap in administering the product. The spoon militates against ready, reliable application of the cap to close the container.

It is an object of this invention to overcome the abovedescribed disadvantages and to provide an administering dispenser, which shall have a low cost of manufacture, shall not complicate meeting health and sanitation regulations and shall be readily usable in administering a product.

In accordance with this invention a dispenser is provided which includes a cylinder having a flexible administering device secured to the inner wall thereof. The cylinder is open at one end and is dimensioned to engage at the open end a standard cap, meeting regulations, frictionally or resiliently. The dispensing device is similar to a flexible spoon and has a dispensing bowl extending from an arm. In the standby condition of the dispenser the device is bowed or flexed into the cylinder. When the product is to be administered the device is flexed out of the cylinder and the bowl is set in dispensing position and the product is poured into the bowl. After administering the product the cylinder and device are thoroughly cleaned and the device is flexed back into standby position within the cylinder, for locking the device in administering position. The cylinder may also be composed of transparent material and he graduated so that specific quantities of the product may be measured out. In this case the product may be poured into an auxiliary container and from it into the administering device or the arm of the administering device may be set in a vertical or inclined position and the product poured into the bowl as the cylinder is dipped and the bowl simultaneously turned to the horizontal position. For this mode of use the stem or arm of the administering device has a groove so that by tipping the cylinder, with the device in administering position, the product flows readily from the cylinder through the groove into the administering bowl.

For a better understanding of this invention, both as to its organization and as to its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, reference is made to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing; in which:

FIGURE 1 is a view partly in section and partly in side elevation showing a container on which is mounted a dispenser, according to this invention, in the standby posi tion;

FIG. 2 is a view partly in section of the dispenser in FIG. 1 in position to administer a product;

FIG. 3 is a fragmental plan view showing the locking mechanism for the dispenser in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 4 is a view in section taken along line IVIV of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the administering device according to this invention in administering position.

The dispenser 9 according to this invention is shown as mounted on a pharmaceutical container 11 having a standard cap 13 meeting regulations. The container 11 has a neck or mouth 15. Typically, the outer surface of the neck 15 may have a thread 17 which engages a cooperative internal thread (not shown) in the cap 13. Alternatively the cap 13 may be of flexible material and may be held by friction in closing relationship with the neck 15. The outer surface of the cap 13 is serrated or scalloped or otherwise roughened to receive and hold the dispenser 9.

The dispenser 9 includes a cylinder 20 open at one end which has a snout-like projection 21 extending from its rim. On both sides the outer surface of projection 21 has a depression 23. The inner surface near the rim of the cylinder 20 at the opening has ridges or serrations 22 or is otherwise roughened so that the dispenser 9 is held firm by engagement of the ridges 22 in the rim with the surface of the cap 13. An administering device 25 is secured to the inner surface of the cylinder 20. This device 25 is generally similar to a flexible spoon and includes a bowl 27 and a stem 29. A pair of tabs 31 extend from the stem 29 near the bowl 27. Each tab 31 has an external dimple 33. The device 25 is secured to the inner surface of the cylinder 20 by engagement of the end or tab 35 of the stem 29 with this surface (FIGS. 1 and 2).

In the standby condition of the dispenser 9, the administering device 25 is flexed or bowed into the cylinder 20 (FIG. 1) into an arc with the bowl 27 and the stem 29 well within the cylinder 20. When the dispenser is to be used, the device 25 is flexed so that the bowl 27 is substantially horizontal and is locked in this position by en- 3 4 gagement of dimples 33 in the tabs 31 with the depres- (Thiokols), silicones, fluorocarbons, acrylics, chlorinated sions 23 in the projection 21. sulfonated polyethylene (H'ypolon), polymethanes, buta- The bowl 27 may have the volume of a tablespoon or diene acrylonitrite copolymers, chloroprenes, ethylenegreater and may have graduations 41 in teaspoons or f-racpropylene copolymers, fluorinated copolymers, isobutions of teaspoons. The cylinder 20 may also have gradua- 5 tylene polymers, polybutadiene polymers, polyisobutyl- 'tions 43. With the bowl 27 in administering position the cues, polyisoprenes, and others. A description of the rubpharmaceutical product from the container 11 may be bers listed above can be found in the Rubber Red Book, measured out in the bowl 27 or may be measured out in 18th Edition, pp. 606-648 Palmerton Publishing Co. Inc. the cylinder 20 and poured into the bowl 27 by dipping 1966. Newer synthetic elastomers such as the polyepithe cylinder 20 and turning the bowl 27 from a vertical chlorohydrins (hydrins) and their copolymers with or inclined position to horizontal position. For setting ethylene oxide, ethylene propylene copolymers, etc. could the bowl 27 in vertical or inclined position a second set also be used. of dimples (not shown to avoid confusion) may be pro- A description of the compounding design of several of vided in the projection 21. To facilitate transfer of the these rubbers is found in the Rubber Handbook, pp. product from the cylinder 20 to the bowl 25, the cylinder 238-292, R. T. Vanderbilt Co., 230 Park Ave, New York, has a snout-like form 44 inside of the projections 21 NY.

and the arm or stem 2.9 has a groove near the bowl 27. In addition, various combinations of above rubbers The patient receives the product f the howh and rubbers comprising combinations of suitable mono- The administering device 25 is, in accondance with this that give Polymers which have elongations in invention, composed of a material or materials which 20 exciss of l rubbery materlals that may be camzed (crosshnked) or non-vulcanized also can be led themselves to the flexing back'and'forth between em lo ed These could include eth lene vin lacetate the bowed stand-by position (FIG. 1) and the adminisp y y y ethylene ethylacetate, block copolymers of styreneterlng position (FIG. 2). In the lnterest of convenience butadiene etc and both f :bowi t am] 29 are 25 Table II below presents the composition of four typical posed of this materlal but it is within the scope of this materials identified as A B c D that can be used. invention to construct or mold the arm 29 of a highly flexible material and the bowl 27 of a harder more resist- TABLE H ant material and to weld, or otherwise secure, the arm Parts by weight to the bowl. 0 D The arm is preferably composed of plastic material 1,000 1,000 but the plastic material must exhibit adequate flexibility i i to assure that the arm 29 does not crack on repeated flexing. The material must be rigid enough so that when 5 g 5 g 5 the device 25 is removed from the cylinder 20 the bowl I2 2512 2512 29 is properly set for administering the product. :"i6f"':::::: Materials which can be used in the practice of this in- Zinc Oxide 312 'vention and their principal properties are tabulated in IIhiate B=A trialkyl thiourea (R. T. Vanderbilt 00.). bl 1 b l 1 EFF Blaek=Fast Extrusion Furnace Black.

TABLE I Properties ASTM Test Acetal Polymers and Modified Acrylic Mold- Cellulose Acetates Method Copolymers ing Compound Compression molding, temp, F.-- 300400 Compr. molding pres., p.s. 2, 000-5000.. Injection molding temp F Inj. molding pres.,

Mold shrinkage, in. in Specific gravity- Refractive index, nd.-- Tensile strength, p.s.i Elongation, percent D638 5 Modulus of Elasticity in Tension, 10 Compressive strength, p.s.i Flexural strength, p.s.i D79 rn a t strength, n.-1s,'i inf'or 1otoh (M'XVZV bon, Izod D256 1.14

Hardness, Rockwell D785 M76-M94, R118 RQQ-RIZO R35R125.

Clarity Translucent to Translucent to Translucent to opaque.

opaque. opaque.

In Table I, the rows labeled tensile strength; elonga- Table III below tabulates the important properties of tion, Modulus of elasticity, flexural strength are of the materials A, B, C, D. importance. During the flexing the outer surface of the arm 29 is subjected to tension and must be capable of withstanding the stress. The table shows that some of the TABLE III compounds in each class tabulated have high tensile 0 Cum Modulus Tensile Percent Show A strength. It is desirable that the elongation should be at 21 5 p t atp300 stllfrslgith, Elongation Hardness least 50%. The table shows that some compounds of the acetal polymers and copolymers have elongation as high 20 2,050 2.800 3 0 57 30 070 2, 800 s00 81 as 75%. Compounds having elongation between 50% and 20 1, 330 1.930 710 71 20 820 1,000 650 79 75% should be selected. The same applies to the cellulose acetates. The only acrylic compounds suitable are those which have elongation of about 50%. The modulus of elasticity should not be too high or too low; the arm 29 would be excessively stiff for a high modulus and excessively plastic for a low modulus. Numerous suitable comare lower than for the materials in Table the Percent pounds are covered b th ,'b1 elongation are substantially higher and for this reason Rubbery materials can also be used for the arm 29 or these a i ls re uitable.

ples of bb r th t can b Table IV below presents the formulation of three the whole device 25-. Exam used include the following; natural, styrene butadiene additional materials E, F, G. (Typical molded reinforced (SBR), neoprene, Butyl, nitrile copolymers, Polysulfides rubber formulations.)

While the moduli of elasticity for materials A, B, C, D,

TABLE IV Parts by weight M E F G Styrene Butadiene Rubber (Type 1006 Hot) 100 100 100 Bondogen 1 2 2 2 Stearic Aoid 2 2 2 Zinc Oxide 5 5 Agerite Stalite 1 1 1 Sulfur 2 2 2 Altax 1. 5 1. 5 1. 5 Cumatet... 0.1 0.1 0.1 HAF Black 50. 4 SRF Black 5 Calcium Carbonate Table V below presents the properties of materials E, F, G.

TABLE V Cure, Modulus Tensile Percent Shore A min. at at 300%, strength, Elonga- Hardness 28 F p.s.i. p.s.i. tion E 15 2, 600 3, 200 330 66 F 20 2, 550 2, 650 310 66 G 15 300 900 550 60 Note the high percent elongations.

The administering device 25 may also be composed of spring steel but this would be costly.

The materials which can be used may be thermoplastic or thermosetting and the device 25 may be made by molding in accordance with the type of material.

The cylinder 20 may be of the same or similar material, or weld compatible (having coefficients of expansion in the same range and wetting) with, as the handle 29. In this case the end or tab 35 can be secured to the inner surface of the cylinder 20 by a process analogous to welding. This is particularly applicable where both materials are thermoplastic. In this case the tab 35 and the region of the cylinder to which it is to be joined are both softened by heat and a joint is made. The tab 35 may also be attached or secured by adhesives (epoxy resins, for example), heat sealing, friction fittings and the like. The entire dispenser 9 including the administering device 25 may also be molded as a unit with the administering device 25 integral with the cylinder 20.

While preferred embodiments of this invention have been disclosed herein, many modifications thereof are feasible. This invention then is not to be restricted except insofar as is necessitated by the spirit of the prior art.

I claim as my invention:

1. A dispenser for a pharmaceutical product comprising a container, receiving and administering device for the product having a flexible portion and means for receiving and holding the product for administration, and means securing said device to the inner wall of said container in a position such that said device is capable of being flexed to a position within the container when the dispenser is in stand-by condition and into receiving position for, and administering position of, the product when the product is to be administered, at least the said flexible portion of said device being composed of an adequately flexible material to achieve the flexing aforesaid.

2. The dispenser of claim 1 wherein the cylinder and device include cooperative mechanisms for locking the device in administering position.

3. The dispenser of claim 1 wherein the cylinder includes graduations for indicating quantities of the product.

4. The dispenser of claim 1 wherein the device includes a dispensing bowl on a flexible arm and at least the portion of the arm contiguous to the bowl has a groove so that by dipping the cylinder the product flows under gravity from the cylinder to the bowl.

5. A dispenser for a pharmaceutical product including a container from which an external projection extends, a product-receiving-and-administering means having a flexible arm from which the administering means extends, a tab secured to said arm and to the inner wall of said container flexibly suspending said receiving-andadministering-means from said inner wall in a position such that said receiving-and-adminstering means may be moved from a stand-by position in which it is flexed wholly within the container to a dispensing position in which said administering means is supported on said projection in product-administering relationship.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 353,055 11/1886 Dorr 30141 X 662,588 11/1900 Bloom 30-141 X 1,106,809 8/1914 Haverty et al 30-327 HOUSTON S. BELL, Jr., Primary Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 

